The Sandlot Time for Summer Love
by Adoxagraphy.Angelus
Summary: The Sandlot gang welcome two new people to their gang,  Scotty Smalls and Annabelle Johnson. With their help the Sandlot gang will  have a fun full summer and maybe even Romance. Benny/OC Adopted from  -X-xx-Sazza-xx-X-
1. Chapter 1

The first thing that caught my eye the moment I stepped out of the school building was a group of boys playing baseball. You'd think I would have simply walked passed such a mediocre scene, but that wasn't the case for me. I loved baseball, and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

"Who's winning?" I asked as I approached one of the female bystanders watching the game.

"The Sandlot team," she answered without tearing her eyes away from the field. I was tempted to ask her who _The Sandlot team _was, but I instantly got the vibe it was something I was "supposed" to know.

"Oh my God!" The girl cried as she pointed to the field. "It's Benny! Benny's about to bat, everyone!"

A wave of squeals emitted from the cluster of girls surrounding the field, and I instantly rolled my eyes at their show of adoration. Adoration for a hunk, no doubt.

Turning my attention towards the batter's box, I expected to see a handsome, blonde-haired blue eyed Adonis God—or something along the lines. What I did not expect, however, was the reaction I expressed when a young, dark-haired boy stepped up to the plate and positioned himself for a swing.

He was cute, I'll give him that. But there was something about his aura that caught my breath. There was something in the way he carried himself that made me feel…taken aback. Maybe intimidated.

Shaking out of my stupor, I turned my attention back to the bystanders, most of which were girls, and suddenly couldn't blame them anymore.

"Why are you so excited to see him bat?" I asked, although I already knew the answer. For the first time since I approached the girl, she looked at me.

"You don't know him?" She asked in slight surprise. "I thought everyone would have known Benny 'The Jet' by now?"

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Benny! He's—well, he's kind of a legend around here. What's your name? I'm Alice, by the way."

"I'm Annabelle Johnson," I said as I shook her hand. "And what do you mean he's a legend?"

Alice put a finger under her chin and thought. "Well, it's kind of a long story. Just watch him play, and you'll know what I mean," she added with a sly smile as she pointed back at the boy named Benny.

Following her instruction, I watched the pitcher threw the ball. Ooh, a fast ball! This Benny guy was sure to miss! I was sure of it.

I was wrong.

Benny hit a towering home run and, in a flash, began rounding bases. I watched in amazement as he sped up. Never in my life had I seen a person run so fast. This boy was just full of surprises.

It didn't end there.

As if it was fate, the ball finally landed…near my foot. I picked it up, and looked around, unsure of what to do. Of course, no one had paid any attention to the ball—just Benny—and in my hesitancy, I threw the ball back into the field.

Unfortunately for the catcher, whom I didn't mean to aim at, I threw the ball a bit too hard, causing him to stumble back in surprise as the ball narrowly missed the side of his face.

"Whoopsies," I mumbled as I watched the catcher spin around in confusion. I realized at that moment, too, that I had just assisted the opposing team.

I turned to look at the crowd, glad that all of them were much too absorbed to see my blunder. All of them, that is, except for Alice, who shot me a raised eyebrow.

"What?" I asked. "The other team was getting creamed, anyway. A little help won't hurt."

"No," she said as she shook the perplexity off her face. "I was just stunned, that's all. I've never seen a girl throw a ball like that!"

Call me prideful, but I couldn't help but smirk. "I used to be on a baseball team when I was living in Japan," I told her as casually as I could. "I was on an all girls' team."

"That's so cool!" Alice exclaimed. "You know what? You need to meet Benny!"

I shook my head as I laughed. "No, that's alright. I should be getting home anyway."

Alice only shook her head in understanding and waved as I began walking away. For some reason, I felt unnerved—as if I were being watched. I turned around and, to my utter surprise, spotted a pair of eyes glued to mine. They were Benny's eyes, and he starred at me with a notably crooked smile. I waved at him and smiled back, unsure if he was really looking at me. Sure enough, he waved back before running back to play the game.

I loitered around the park, not really in the mood to go home anymore. The result of talking to Alice about my old baseball team in Japan made me nostalgic, and I just needed a quite place to reminisce. However, knowing that my mother wouldn't appreciate it if I left her to do most of the unpacking, I got up from the park bench and began making my way home.

"So how was your first day of school?" My mother asked me as I entered the kitchen. Smiling, I sat on the nearby stool and began telling her about meeting Alice and how it made me homesick. I even told her about my indirect encounter with Benny "The Jet," not feeling embarrassed because I knew I could tell her anything. My step-dad, on the other hand, was a totally different story, which is why I pleadingly told my mother, "Don't tell Ryan, please. You know he'll ground me or something."

My mother nodded her head in understanding as she moved a stray hair from my face.

"You know, Annabelle—" she began to say. "I know—I just—nevermind. Why don't you go look around town and see if you can find a baseball team you can play for. It would make moving here a lot easier if you had some people to enjoy your time with."

"Thanks mom," I said excitedly as I jumped off the stool and ran towards my room, intent on changing into jeans, an old baseball top, and a pair of PF flyers. Not to sound materialistic, but if there was anything good about my mother's marriage to Ryan, it was that he had money. Lots and lots of money.

After grabbing my mitt and squeezing it into the back pocket of my jeans, I grabbed my baseball cap and froze as I stared at the symbol on the front: an angel with a devil pitch and fork. I suddenly felt another wave of nostalgia as I recalled my old baseball team, the "Angels from Hell." It was a pretty controversial title. But then again, my coach was a pretty controversial person. Goodness, I missed my old coach. I missed my team. But I knew I couldn't waste my time feeling wistful. It did nothing but make me feel sad and regretful.

Keeping that fact in mind, I shook myself back to reality and ran out of the house with the intention of finding a new team…of finding new friends to make new memories with.

After much exploring, in which I found a drug store selling baseballs, I came across a sandlot. It was perfect in size, and I probably would have claimed it for myself, had it been empty.

At the current moment, a group of boys were scattered around the lot, obviously playing a game of baseball. I stood behind a large hedge and watched as a short kid walk towards one of the fences surrounding the sandlot. He picked up a baseball, but something made him jump back and nearly trip over some branches.

He turned back at the fence in confusion, switching his attention from the other boys and back.

"Come on!" One of the boys yelled from across the lot. "We're waiting!"

Feeling as if the other boys were much more important than whatever it was that frightened him, I watched as the short kid awkwardly positioned himself, and then threw the ball. It didn't go very far.

I probably would have laughed too, had the other boys not laughed first. It wasn't a collection of good natured laughs, however. It was more like jeering, and it was enough to cause the young boy to run away in dejection.

To my surprise, I recognized one of the boys as Benny, and although he wasn't laughing along with the rest of the kids, I still felt a pang of disappointment.

Turning around, I went after the poor boy who had run away and easily caught up with him.

"Hey!" I yelled, catching his attention. "Hey! What's wrong?"

The boy turned around and sighed.

"Nothing," he said dismally. "I just—I can't throw or catch a baseball."

I bit down on my bottom lip and smiled. He may not be a good baseball player, but with a little training, he could be pretty decent.

"I'll teach you," I said, causing him to widen his eyes in astonishment.

"Really? You know how to play baseball? But you're a girl! Do you really like baseball? You really, really play?" I pointed to my cap and shirt, hoping that was enough to answer his redundant questions.

Within minutes, we were in front of his house batching and throwing my baseball. He lived right across the street from my house, which made me a bit nervous. If Ryan ever saw me playing with a boy, I knew it'd be the end.

"Okay, Scotty, never take your eye off the ball," I told him for the hundredth time that hour. "No matter what position you are in, keep your eye ON the ball. Where the ball goes, your mitt goes. To catch, don't snap at it. If you catch it right, your glove with close by itself, okay?"

"Okay," he said. "I think I got it now."

I tried to refrain from playfully snorting and just threw the ball lightly at him. He missed.

"Don't worry about it," I told him gently, knowing that positive comments would keep him motivated. "I missed a lot when I first started."

Scotty only nodded his head, although I couldn't tell if he believed me or not.

Suddenly, the door to his house opened, and a red-headed woman stepped out.

"Who is this Scotty?" She asked as she smiled at me.

"Oh this is…? Um…this is…she never told me her name."

"Annabelle Johnson, ma'am," I said bowing. It was a habit I picked up in Japan, and something obviously peculiar to Mrs. Scotty's-Mom.

"She's teaching me how to play baseball," Scotty added, causing her to change her look of confusion to one of enthusiasm.

"Thank you," she said. "His dad was going to teach him, but he never seems to find the time. He keeps saying he's 'under the gun.'"

"Don't worry. I always like to help people," I said as she retreated back into the house.

I turned towards Scotty while he got into a throwing stance and stood next to him.

"Okay, now for throwing. Again, when your arm gets here, let go," I explained while showing him how to throw. "And if you're far away from the catcher, just aim a little bit above his head. Got it?'

"Got it." Scotty said. I ran back to my spot and waited for him to throw. For the first time since Scotty and I started practicing, he actually threw a good ball, and I caught it with ease before cheering him on.

"Good job, man! Now here. Catch this!" I threw the ball back to Scotty, and with a bit of fumbling, he caught the ball.

"Nice catch," I said. The feat must have meant a lot to Scotty, because he instantly dropped the baseball and ran back into his house.

"Mom! "I heard him yell from outside. "Guess what? I threw and caught a ball!"

Laughing at his excitement, I went to pick up the ball he had dropped, but was stunned to see Benny on the other side of the street holding it in his hand. Our eyes met for an instant before he smiled again—that same, crooked smile—and tossed the ball to me. I caught it without trouble and watched as he continued walking towards the house next to mine! It was strange how I not only ran into him at the sandlot, but he lived next door to me as well.

"Hey, Annabelle?" Scotty asked meekly as he tugged on the sleeve on my shirt. "I'm planning on going back to the sandlot. You know, to show those guys that I can throw and catch now. But I was just wondering…could you come with me?"

"Sure." I replied, not really giving it much thought. "But if we go, you're going to have to learn how to pitch, too."

"Okay," he said with determination I handed him the ball.

For the next half hour, I showed him how to pitch and how to catch a pitch. His dad eventually joined once he came home, but I had to go home shortly after. Scotty and I said our goodbyes, and he thanked me again for helping him out.

Finding my mother in the backyard planting flowers, I sat down next to her and began pulling weeds.

"Thank you," she muttered unhappily. I knew she was in one of those moods again.

"Mom, I still don't get what you see in Ryan," I said. "I mean he doesn't let us do anything we like. He's so—controlling."

"I know but he really is very sweet-"

"Oh, don't make me be sick!" I complained. "He's only nice to you. Not to me! I swear, he would rather have no daughter."

My mother looked at me sympathetically. She knew how Ryan treated me, and yet she insisted he was just strict. That was when I heard the door behind us open and saw the devil himself step out.

"Annabelle," he said sternly. "Go to your room. I need to speak with your mother."

I stood up, not even bothering to hide the glare I only reserved for him, and reluctantly walked back into the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

In the morning, I walked to Scotty's place and asked if he would like me to walk with him to school.

"Why don't I drop both of you off?" his mother asked.

" Thank you, ma'am," I said in a very lady-like way. You see, I can be lady-like, but only when I want to be, which is when I am around grown-ups.

We got into her car and she drove us to the school. I said thank you and we walked to our class room. I saw two seats near the Sandlot gang; I pointed them out to Scotty who shook his head. I rolled my eyes and pulled him to the seats. I sat next to Benny and Scotty sat next to me. I felt eyes on me, and I turned to the left. Benny was staring at me again. I smiled and winked at him, making him blush.

I turned back to the front and smiled slightly. _Man it is easy to make boys blush,_ I thought. The teacher came in and said good morning to us.

"Good Morning, Mrs. White," we all said together. She started writing on the board making most people groan. I quickly read it and smirked.

"Today in math class, we will be doing triangles," Mrs. White explained. "Does anyone know the name of this triangle and the name of the angle?" Mrs. White put up a triangle. My hand shot up before anyone else could even blink.

"Yes?" she asked.

"It's an isosceles triangle and an acute angle," I answered.

"Good, that is right. Have you done triangles?" she asked.

"Yes, back in Tokyo we were up to fractions, decimals, and percents," I explained. I heard a sneeze that had "nerd" in it. I looked around to see some guy in a baseball uniform laughing. I did a sarcastic laugh, then glared at him.

"Oh, I see, I'm a nerd because I actually care to learn," I spat. "I get it. But you're cool because you've never bothered to try." I heard a few snickers, and smirked, pleased with myself.

"That's enough," Mrs. White called. "There will be no teasing in this classroom."

I turned to face Mrs. White and smiled sweetly.

"Sorry ma'am," I said in a lady-like voice. "It will not happen again." She nodded.

"Good. Okay class I am going to hand out a worksheet on triangles to see what you know about them." I tuned out the teacher and everyone else while I looked down at the paper. It was the same one I did in Tokyo. _This is going to be easy,_ I thought.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Soon it was time to go home, and Scotty's mum picked us up.

"Is it okay if I take your son to a place to play some baseball?" I asked.

"Sure," she answered. "I am so glad that Scotty has made a friend." We got to his house soon and I went to grab my mitt and a spare one for Scotty.

"Here," I said passing the other mitt to him. "Let's go."

We ran to through the town and to the sandlot. We stopped by the dugout and watched them for a while.

"Wow, they are really good," I muttered.

"Yeah," Scotty agreed. The guy at the pitcher's mound turned and saw us.

"Hey look! It's the guy who can't throw and the nerd," he laughed making all the other boys laugh. Benny just shook his head.

"What you talking about? Scotty can throw and catch," I yelled as I walked up to him. Scotty followed close behind.

"Yeah, from what we saw yesterday, I am sure he can catch," a kid with big black glasses laughed. "Here." He threw the ball at Scotty, who brought up his mitt and caught it. He threw it back to the pitcher.

"Told you," I said, smirking. I thought for a moment. "If I hit three balls pitched by you, he can play." I said pointing to the pitcher.

"Please, a girl? What can you do?" The kid with the black glasses asked.

"Oh, you'll be surprised," I said walking up to Benny and taking his bat. "What's the matter? Scared that your pride might be broken?" The pitcher glared.

"Bring it," he said.

"Happily." I took my spot at the batter's base and tuned out the stopper, who was trying to distract me. The pitcher pitched the ball and I swung. I hit it straight back to the pitcher.

"How's your pride feeling?" I asked as he stared at the ball. He shook his head and pitched the next two balls, which I hit straight back to him. I walked to Scotty with my back to them and took off my jumper, showing them my baseball shirt.

"You can play now," I smiled at him.

"Wait…. you play baseball?" Benny asked. I turned around and smirked.

"Back in Tokyo, my team was the best, and it was an all girls team, too," I explained. "Why don't you think that girls can play?"

"Well, at first I didn't think so. But now that I've met you, I believe that girls can play," Benny said. "I'm Benny, that's Squints, Yeah-Yeah, Ham, Bertram, Timmy, Tommy and Kenny."

"I'm Annabelle and that's Scotty," I said pointing to Scotty. Benny nodded and smiled. He told the others to get back to their positions and then he turned to us and thought for a moment.

"Smalls, you can have left center, and Belle, you can pitch a few to me," Benny said. Kenny passed the ball to me and I caught it with a smirk. I took my place on the pitcher's and mound and pitched one to Benny. He hit straight to Smalls who took a few steps backwards and caught it. He threw it into second; Bertram threw it back to me.

"Okay, Benny, this one you are not going to hit," I promised. I pitched my famous curved balls and Benny swung and to my surprise he hit it. It went flying into the left field.

"You were saying?" he asked. I turned around and blinked at him.

"Okay, you are the first person who has ever hit that…Wow, you're reallu good," I explained. "Nice hit, I guess my friends were wrong people can hit my curved balls." I shook my head before pitching him another curved ball.

We played baseball until it nearly got dark. I then remembered that we don't have school again until the end of summer.

Ham, Smalls, Benny and I all walked back to our house. Ham left us when we got to the end of the street. Smalls turned to me.

"Thanks, Belle. Here's you mitt," he said. I shook my head.

"Keep it," I replied smiling. He started to walk towards his house when Benny called after him. Benny ran up to him and talked to him for a few minutes before giving him a hat. I shook my head and walked to my house.

"See ya later Belle," Benny called as he walked past my house.

"Yeah, see ya tomorrow," I called back entering my house. Mom was in the kitchen, where she was standing over the stove, making dinner.

"What'cha makin'?" I asked her, taking off my baseball hat and setting it down on the breakfast bar. I sat on one of the stools, shaking my hair out of its ponytail.

"Potato Salad," she said, and my mouth watered. I was too pre-occupied with baseball to realize I was hungry. "The family across the street, the Rodriguez's, invited us over for dinner."

We left an hour later, after I showered, changed, and ran a brush through my hair. It looked border-line cute, which is odd, seeing as it's usually up in a low ponytail that I hid under my baseball cap.

"You are too kind," my mother kept on saying as we entered their house, and chatted with them a bit. It occurred to me that it was odd that Ryan wasn't there, but I just ignored it. Ryan not being there was fine with me.

"Don't worry about it, I always like to meet Benny's new friends, and I must say that you are one beautiful young girl," Benny's mother said, making me blush.

"Thank you, ma'am," I said, smiling at her.

"Please call me Alice," she said.

"Okay," I smiled. "Would you like any help?"

"No, you are a guest," Alice replied. She went to get the dinner with my mother; Benny's dad went to his office for a little while, leaving me alone with Benny. I tried not to look at his face, but I failed. I kept on taking peeks at him, but whenever his head started to turn, I would look away quickly. Thankfully, the parents came back and I sighed slightly.

Having dinner with Benny's family was fun. We played a few games, and then we left. When we got back to our house my mother turned to me and smiled.

"So, did you have a good time?" I nodded, smiling. A huge yawn then over-came me and I started to walk towards the stairs.

"Night mom," I said, as my mom said a quiet good night. I got to my room and fell onto my bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the morning, I got up early and wanted to go for a run. I put on my running shorts and a stomach bearing tank-top, and my PF Flyers. I got outside and stretched for about five minutes before starting my run. I ran around the town a few times and then went back to my house. I laid down in the front yard and smiled. _That felt good,_ I thought.

"Hey! Belle! What are you doing?" I opened my eyes and saw Benny standing over me.

"I just went for a run," I explained sitting up. He put his hand out, and I put my hand in his. I tried to stop myself from blushing he pulled me up and looked me up and down.

"Yeah, I can tell," he said, looking at my sweat-stained hair. I blushed, running a hand over it. "Have you had breakfast?" I shook my head.

"Want to come inside while I eat and have a shower? You can look at some of my dad's baseball stuff," I said walking to the front door as he nodded and followed me in. "My dad's stuff is just in through that door." I pointed to a door just across from the dining room.

"Okay," he said walking over to the door. I raced up stairs and grabbed a pair of jeans and a singlet. I had a quick shower dried myself and got dressed. I raced back down stairs and found my mother talking to Benny.

"Here she is! I made you breakfast Anna," my mother said as she smiled me. "I got to go to work, so I'll see you later tonight, honey." She walked past me and kissed me on the forehead.

"Okay, bye," I said as I took a seat next to Benny, who was eating some of my breakfast. "Do you mind? I'm really hungry," I said shoving his hand away before eating my food.

"We should go and pick up Smalls," Benny said, laughing as I quickly ate my food. I nodded as I dried my cup in seconds. We walked to Smalls house and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Smalls called. "Be back later mum." Smalls smiled at us as we ran to the Sandlot.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Benny took the spot as catcher so Ham could have a go at batting. Ham stepped up to the plate and positioned himself for a swing before pointing to the house just behind the left field fence. The action caused everyone to laugh.

"Oh, yeah. I see it," Benny joked.

Kenny stood on the pitcher's mound and pitched the ball. Ham missed it.

"This is baseball!" Ham said crossly. "Give me something to hit!"

"Throw him a basketball! Maybe he would hit it," Squints called.

"Alright, Ham! This is my heater," Kenny yelled from across the field. "I _dare_ you to hit it!"

Kenny would be eating his words, because not long after he pitched his Heater, Ham successfully hit it. Smalls and I both backed up, but there was just no way we could catch the ball. It went right over the fence!

I watched from the distance as Ham smirked and started to run around the bases while Benny stood up and removed his mask.

"Ham, you idiot!" Benny snapped. "Now we can't play no more!" Everyone must have shared Benny's annoyance, because they all began throwing their mitts at Ham. I looked at Smalls, who looked back at me in confusion.

"Let's just go get the ball," I sighed before we both started walking towards the fence. We began climbing it, but suddenly froze when everyone began screaming at us.

"No!" Squints yelled, causing all the other boys to run towards us. Benny was the first to reach me, and he practically yanked me off the fence. I watched as everyone else carried Smalls and put him back down on the ground, as well.

"Benny, what the heck are you doing?" I asked in confusion.

"No," Squints began. "What were _you_ thinking?" I looked at him blankly.

"Well, you guys were all complaining, so we were going to get the ball for you," I answered, still unsure of what Smalls and I did wrong.

"You can't go behind there," Ham said. I looked at Smalls.

"Why not?" Everyone looked at each other, unsure of who to speak.

"The Beast," Benny answered for everyone else.

"Right…" I sighed. "Yep, there's a beast behind there." I rolled my eyes, but Benny walked forward and bent down towards me.

"Both of you, go to that hole, and look through," he explained. I shrugged and walked over there, Smalls following behind me. Unsure of what we were looking for, we bent down and looked through the hole in the fence. I saw the ball. It landed in the midst of a pile of junk. But just when I was about to turn around and ask Benny what I was supposed to be looking for, a large paw entered the sight and snatched the ball away from view. Smalls and I both jumped back in horror, unsure of what we had just witnessed.

"What the heck was that?" I asked looking at Benny. The boys all looked at each other again, before finally replying all together.

"Camp out!"

After the game ended, because we didn't have a ball to play with, Benny and I walked home. Again, he kept looking at me, which was a bit unsettling. I eventually got tired of it and made the effort to confront him.

"Why do you keep on looking at me?" I asked. Benny raised an eyebrow.

"I am not looking at you," he said walking to his house. "You must really want me if you think I am looking at you." My eyes widened.

"Benny, you jerk!" I ran towards him and gave him a good shove. "You're really cocky if you think I want you. You know, not every girl in the world wants you." With that said, I left him on the ground and walked away.

I ran the short walk to my house. I opened the door and slammed it shut as soon as I walked in. My mom was in the living room, and, looking at my face, she said, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Benny's just conceited." She gave me a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, honey. But look, something came in the mail for you today." She handed me a package. My face lit up, and I shouted thanks and ran up the stairs to my room. I ripped it open. Shaking out a necklace into my hand, I grinned. It was a pink medallion with Japanese letters on it. Then out came a letter.

**Dear Annabelle,**

**Hope you are well! This is a necklace that the master gave me to send to you.**

**From Jarred**

In that instant, I suddenly felt home sick. I looked across my room and stared at the photo of my friends before finally realizing I had my own friends to attend to tonight. With that in mind, I slipped on the delicate necklace and got read for the campout.

Afterwards, I walked down stairs to get something to eat when I found my mom talking to someone else.

"Annabelle, this is David, my lawyer," She said. "David, this is my daughter, Annabelle."

"Why's he here?" I walked over to the fridge, getting out a Pepsi and twisting off the cap.

"Well, Ryan and I have been having some problems lately…" she trailed off. I was shocked. My mouth was halfway open, and I'm pretty sure my eyes would compete with Bambi's.

"Hey mom," I said as I gave a customary glance at mom's lawyer. "I was just going to get something to eat before leaving." She nodded, and I hurried to the kitchen to grab a candy bar before racing back to my room and grabbing my sleeping bag.

Benny was already waiting for me outside…with a quirky grin on his face. We picked up Scotty Smalls next, and the three of us headed to the tree house near the sandlot.

I took a seat next to the window, and Benny took a seat next to me. Strangely enough, he brought his bat and placed it on the other side of him.

"Do you sleep with that bat or something?" I asked pointing to it while Ham asked Smalls if he wanted a s'more.

"No," he said with the same quirky grin.

"Okay, why are you smiling at me like that? Tell me," I asked from my seat on the window.

"No, can't tell you," he answered. Just when I was about to launch into an argument with him, Squints told everyone to be quiet, and he started the story of the beast. During the story, I got down from my seat and leaned against the wall next to Benny. Very quietly I poked him in the ribs. He looked at me and smirked.

"Tell me," I persisted. He shook his head. I pouted and did my best puppy dog eyes.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said turning back around because Squints had finished the story. Smalls said something but I was too lost in my thoughts to hear him or anyone else. _What does Benny mean? _I asked myself. I peeked a look at him and he was smirking. _What in the world is he smirking about?_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Squints and Yeah-Yeah went to buy the new ball while the rest of us waited at the dugout of the sandlot. Benny was like he always was around the boys. He didn't even bother saying "hi," as if I didn't exist.

I sighed and randomly started kicking a nearby poll, and didn't even stop despite the pain that it caused my foot. I even went so far as to bang my head in frustration, earning me a few quizzical looks from the other boys.

"What's wrong?" Scotty asked.

"It's hot," I lied. "The heat is so unbearable. Even the two bottles of pop I had wasn't enough to quench this feeling of dehydration."

Scotty only nodded his head in understanding as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, matting his damp hair to his skin.

"Where the heck were you?" Benny began to interrogate Squints and Yeah-Yeah, who had returned from the Drug Store almost an hour after they left. "What took you so long? We've been waiting here forever, already!"

Yeah-Yeah handed the new baseball to Benny. "Squints was perving at some dish," he explained, causing Squints to furrow his eyebrows in annoyance.

"I was not!" Squints defended himself.

"Yeah yeah, you were! Your tongue was all hanging out of your mouth, and you were swaying!"

"Shut up, I have a lot of things on my mind," Squints snapped as he sullenly walked towards the dugout. I couldn't help but laugh at his melodramatic emotion. It was enough to take my mind off the heat for a few seconds.

Ham, on the other hand, was ready to die. "Benny, man, it's so hot out here," Ham cried. "I'm baking like a toasted cheeser!"

"It's a hundred and fifty degrees out there," Squints announced. "You can't play baseball!"

A chorus of agreements emitted from the dugout, and I knew Benny was vexed. Having most of the boys go against baseball was like having them go against him.

"Vote then!" Benny challenged. "Anyone who wants to be a can't-hack-it pantywaists who...wears their mama's bra, raise your hand."

I choked down laughter as ALL the boys raised their hands without hesitation. "Yep, that's me," I heard one of them say. I turned my attention back to Benny, who looked as if he were exasperated.

"You realize that _I am_ a girl, right?" I questioned, raising an eye brow. I didn't get a response.

"Fine," he said, giving up. "Fine, be like that. So what are we gonna do?"

The boys all looked at each other with mischievous expressions and loopy smiles before screaming, "Scam pool honeys!" Or something along the lines. I wasn't too sure.

Well, whatever it was we were doing, we said we'd meet at the pool by noon. I had waited for Benny and Scotty, since the three of us lived next to each other. But before I could even approach Benny, he had already sprinted out of the sandlot, and I was left alone with Scotty.

By noon, I was already at the pool before any of the boys. I took off my shorts and jersey, exposing the black and red bikini I rarely ever wore, and then I got onto the block and dived into the pool. Oh God, the water was so cool against my parched skin. I could almost feel my pores breathing as I remained free-floating under water.

When my lungs couldn't take the lack of oxygen anymore, I swam up to the surface, expected air to fill my lungs. Instead, a splash of water impacted on my face, causing me to choke as I inhaled the liquid.

Looking around in annoyance, I saw the boys playing around, dunking each other and rough-housing, and my irritation instantly melted.

"Hey, Belle!" Smalls greeted, causing all the boys to turn their attention towards me. Ham, in his current playfulness, splashed more water on me, and I retaliated by splashing him back. I turned to look towards Benny, wondering if he had seen me, but his attention was diverted somewhere else.

I looked up, curious to see what he was looking at, when I saw the lifeguard sitting at her post. With a red swimsuit, perfectly styled blonde hair, and curvy legs, I knew she was exactly what Benny was looking at.

"She doesn't know what she's doing," Tommy said.

"She doesn't know what she doing," Timmy repeated.

"Yeah she does, she knows exactly what she doing," Benny disagreed. I looked at him and sighed. All the boys were wrapped up in staring at the lifeguard. They didn't even notice when I swam to the edge of the pull and got out to run to the girls' bathroom. Making sure no one was there, I leaned against the wall and slammed my palms onto the wall in frustration. I know it's a bitter thing to say, but I felt as if Benny intentionally made me jealous. I shouldn't be blaming him, but I couldn't help it.

Wow, I felt…. Jealous. Of the Lifeguard. Because of the attention Benny was giving her.

Suddenly, I heard a scream coming from the pool, and I ran out to investigate. A large crowd had gathered at the south end of the pool, the sandlot boys included. Then I saw Squints lying lifeless on the floor while the lifeguard was doing CPR, and I suddenly began running in concern. _Oh God,_ I thought. _I hope he's okay_.

Then...my steps halted when I saw Squints arms wrap around the lifeguard's head, pulling her down for a kiss. I knew at the moment that I would have to kick his butt for making me worry. That is, if the lifeguard didn't beat me to it. He was in so much crap.

"Boys," I chided them half an hour later when we had been kicked out of the pool. "You realize that it's over a hundred degrees, and we just got banned from the pool?"

The boys only shrugged their shoulders, unable to hide their admiration towards Squints for pulling off such an amazing feat. He kissed a woman, and he kissed her good.

"Come on," Benny said once he had finished pull up his jeans over his swimming trunks. "Let's go back to the sandlot. It's not that hot anymore."

We ran to the Sandlot and played for a while. I stayed until I was sure that I had a sun burn, even in the late hour of the afternoon. I told the boys I was leaving and made sure Benny was to walk Small's home. Of course, they all gave me strange looks, worrying about a kid walking home by himself. When questioned, I merely shrugged.

"You're home early," my mom said as she stood over the stove. I'm pretty sure I was cherry red, cuz when mom looked at me, she seemed concerned.

"You look like a cherry," she confirmed, rubbing my arm. I whimpered and she immediately apologized. "I'll look for some aloe." While digging around in the cabinets, she said to me, "So, are you gonna go to the night game?"

"Night game?" I asked.

"Yeah, his mother told me that once a year on the Fourth of July they play a night game," she explained.

I know baseball's a very American thing to do, but to celebrate the Fourth of July by playing it in the dark of the night just struck me as odd. Oh well, I knew I'd probably go anyway, just to be with the guys.

"You know we should get your hair cut," my mom suggested out of the blue. "Would you let me?'

I shrugged my shoulders. "As long as I can still pull it up in a ponytail, I wouldn't mind."

That night, my mom cut my hair and braided neatly. We then started setting up for dinner when a knock at the front door disturbed us.

"I'll get it," I told my mom as I ran down the hall and opened the door. Benny stood there.

"Wow, Belle, the hair cut looks good on you," Benny said as casually as he could, although I could tell there was something up.

"Thanks," I muttered, all the while trying to maintain a smile. My cheeks were stiff from the sun burn, although the aloe did take away some of the sting.

"There's a night game tonight. You wanna come?" he asked. For some reason, I got the vibe he didn't mean to invite me—as if he was forced to do so. I could only imagine that the boys had talked him into doing it, considering the fact that he lived the closest to me.

"Sorry," I said as calmly as I could. "I promised my mom I'd have dinner with her. I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's okay," Benny smiled, although there was no light in his eyes. "I guess I'll just see you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah, see ya tomorrow," I replied as I shut the door and leaned against it for a while before groaning in frustration and stomping back to the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Mom said, using one of the many nick names you get from having the name 'Annabelle'.

"I reclined the offer." Her face was confused, so I explained, "He seemed like he didn't want me to come."

She sighed. "Did it ever occur to you that he likes you, Belle?"

"He does _not _like me. I can guarantee that." She sighed, and decided to drop the subject. "Thanks for the hair cut. Can you tell me when dinners ready?"

She nodded and I walked to my room, sat down on my bed and pulled a book off my night-stand. Not caring what it was, I started to read. Oh, gosh, that book was boring. Setting it down, I closed my eyes, sighing.

I didn't realize I had nodded off until my mom woke me up. "Dinner's ready." I nodded, and went down stairs. I ate silently, sleepily.

After I finished I walked outside and climbed up onto my roof. Sitting there I looked at the fireworks illuminating the valley, and I suddenly understood how the boys could play a night game. I sighed, regretting my decision to turn down Benny's offer, and rested my head to my knees.

I watched as the sandlot boys a few blocks down separated from each other, probably on their way home. And then I saw Benny, and I felt the butterflies in my stomach.

But that fluttering feeling was short lived as I saw a blonde haired blue eyed girl walk next to Benny and grab his hand. The following sequence of events that ensued was enough to make me hurl as I watched Benny bend his head down to kiss this girl, and I suddenly knew I was too late.

I was over-come with a sense of jealousy. It enveloped me. I didn't understand it, until realization hit me. Mom was wrong. He didn't like me. He had liked someone else all along. That's what was up with the goofy smile. That's why he wouldn't tell me what was up.

Unable to stand the scene unfolding before me, and unable to stand myself, I went back inside the house, intent on letting sleep keep me from thinking and thinking and thinking about everything gone horribly wrong.

Eating breakfast the next morning was nonexistent. Thinking about last night made me lose my appetite, and so I tried hard to see the sunny side of the street. Everything could be normal. Just another person to be friends with.

Okay, that didn't exactly make me feel better. I'm totally eating my words here.

It was worse when I got to the sandlot, because the girl I noticed as Benny's new girlfriend was seated at the dugout watching.

Oh, goody.

"Oh look you finally came," Ham said, obviously reminding me of the fact I ditched them last night. I tried to roll my eyes, but felt a bit insecure as I saw the girl at the dugout glaring at me. She was a bit far away, but I could see a stink-eye from miles away. Maybe I shouldn't have put on my stomach bearing tank-top. If anything, she probably got the vibe that I was a hoe trying to "get with her man." Hah!

"Morning Anna," Benny said waving. "That's Emily, we're together, you know?" He pointed to the girl. I just gave him a nervous laugh before common courtesy told me to talk to this Emily girl.

"Hi, Emily," I said as friendly as I could. "I'm Annabelle, or Anna. Or Belle! What ever you prefer." She only flashed me a gorgeous smile, making me sick to my stomach, and I turned around and grabbed the bat from the home base.

"She plays?" I heard Emily ask Benny in disbelief.

"Yes, I don't just came here to tan up, I came here to play same baseball," I mumbled to myself, although what I really wanted to do was chuck my baseball bat at her. Or Benny.

Sighing I tried to concentrate and turned my attention to Kenny.

"Show me what you got!" I yelled. "I feel like hitting your heater."

Kenny smirked as he took up my challenge. He winded the ball. He pitched. And I swung.

The ball was flying straight past Benny, who was much too absorbed by his new blondy. It obviously surprised him, and he had to take his time to compose himself before running towards the ball, picking it up, and throwing it to Yeah-Yeah, who threw it to Bertram, and finally Kenny.

"That was a good hit," Emily said. I guess she wasn't as bad as I thought. "But I could do better. Much better." I take my words back.

"That wasn't even my hardest," I said as I prepared myself for another ball. "Kenny pitch me another one." I got down and glared as the ball came to me. I swung with all my strength and I heard the _wack_ of the bat against the ball, which flew past the fence and into someone's yard.

"Nice one Anna!" Ham said sarcastically. "Now we can't play."

"Yes, we can," I told Ham tiredly. I have another ball." Walking past Emily and into the dugout, I grabbed my other ball and pitched it to Kenny. When I walked past Emily, I heard her mutter that she could still through hit better than me. I was so sick of her; I threw my bat down to the ground and approached her.

"I didn't come here to have some know-it-all ditz say she can do better than me. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is," I growled, and before she could respond, I grabbed my mitt and walked off. No one stopped me, and I was just about to break into a run when a hand grabbed my wrist.

"What the heck do you want, Benny?" I screamed as I turned around. But instead of seeing Benny, as I expected, I saw Smalls. "Oh, sorry, short stuff. I thought you were Benny."

"No, he's still back there comforting Emily." The fact made me even more upset.

"She's crying because I called her bluff?"

Smalls nodded. "You kind of had a point. She was all talk, anyway."

"She is!" I exclaimed, glad that someone agreed with me. "I don't understand how someone as smart as Benny could end up with...her."

Scotty smiled. "Are you jealous, Belle?"

"No!" I said a bit too fast. "I'm just...I don't know. I really don't want to talk about it. It's not something I'm comfy with."

Scotty only shrugged his shoulders and dropped the subject. If there was one thing I liked about Scotty, it was his ability to keep himself from digging his nose into someone's business—something the other boys lacked.

We began to walk back to the sandlot when a group of boys on bicycles spend past us. Curious to see why they were going to the sandlot, Scotty and I looked at each other before running after them.

"It's easy when you play with a bunch of rejects and a fat kid, Rodriguez," I heard the boy leading the unknown group call out. They were all dressed in official baseball uniforms, and I knew right away that they were another baseball team.

"Then you must be looking into a one way mirror," I said a little too loud. Everyone turned to look at me in surprise, except for Benny who glared. Good God, was he still mad at me about Emily?

"Man Rodriguez, if you don't want her, then I will have her," the boy who had insulted Benny said whistling. The nerve!

"I'm Phillips," he said.

"Sorry," I replied as coolly as I could. Then I lied. "I don't swing that way."

This Phillips boy only shrugged his shoulders, not really caring, and went back to terrorizing the sandlot boys. In a span of one minute, Ham and Phillips insulted each other back and forth.

At first, I was completely on Ham's side. And then…he said something that made me want to swing HIS way."

"You play ball like a girl!" Ham yelled. I cursed under my breath, causing Ham to look at me with an apologetic look that obviously said, "_I'm sorry, but it's all I had left."_ He'll pay for it later. We had to get rid of Phillips first.

"Fine, our field. Noon. Be there buffalo butt breath," Phillips said, signaling the end of the fight.

"Count on it, pee drinking crap face," Ham retorted just as Phillips and his group rode their bikes out of the sandlot.

The boys all cheered, congratulating Ham for winning that round of insults. I began walking towards my spot back on home base when Benny tapped my shoulder.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked. I nodded, knowing he was probably going to confront me for what I said to his girlfriend.

"I know you are going to yell at me for hurting Emily's feelings, but she had it coming!" Okay, so that was a bit immature, but at least it was honest.

"Calling her out for bluffing was one thing, but calling her a ditz, too? Couldn't you have kept that to yourself?"

"Couldn't she keep her negative feelings to _herself? _I swear, Benny, from the moment I stepped foot on the sandlot, she did nothing but show her distaste for me. Can you blame me for snapping?"

Benny didn't know how to answer, and I knew he couldn't blame me. That was all I really needed to know.

"I'm going home," I told Benny. "With Emily and Phillips being introduced to me all in one day, I think I'm gonna need a shower away the stench of idiocracy."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Mothers. Good mothers. They are generally envisioned as warm-hearted and good-natured souls who affectionately hug their children good night and kiss them lovingly when they awaken. They are the backbone of the nuclear family, having the highest salaried job in which their payment for labour is pure love.

I wish that was the case for _my _mother.

"Annabelle! Wake up, you lazy bum!" She _lovingly_ yelled as she _tenderly_ throttled me awake.

"No, five more minutes, kay?"I mumbled a little incoherently as I rolled away from her and buried myself into my pillows.

This was nothing new in our household, especially on week days where I would have to wake up at the crack of dawn just to get to school on time. It was routine.

"Okay, Annabelle, you leave me no choice."

The typical threat. I roll over on my back as my mom stomps away—the usual response. I stretch a little, peeling off my socks with my toes before snuggling into a fetal position. _Ahh, peace and quite_—the usual ending to my mother's post-breakfast routine.

And then...

_A SPLASH_.

I jerked upwards, falling off my bed at the sudden movement and finding myself sprawled on the cold, wooden floor. At first, I lied there in confusion and stared at my mother, who looked down at me with a bucket in one hand and a triumphant smirk gracing her face. Then it dawned on me. My mother, who was supposed to be kind and warm and loving, just dumped what looked like a whole gallon of water on my head! Freezing cold water, I noted as I felt the hairs on my skin rise.

"At the risk of sounding rude..." I started through clenched teeth, "What the heck, mom?" This was definitely new.

My mother only ignored my irritation and continued to make my bed. "I saw it on an episode of Looney Tunes once," she explained cheerfully. "Since then, I've always wanted to try it."

"Ugh, you are _so_ immature," I grumbled as I stood up and began shedding my drenched clothes. "I bet it's that mid-life crisis that got you to do it."

"Hey! I'm not that old, you know?"

"Tell that to the mirror," I retorted before receiving a light smack to the forehead.

"Be a good daughter, Annabelle. You know I wouldn't have forced you out of bed, but Scotty Smalls is waiting for you downstairs. You should hurry up and get dressed, honey. It's impolite to let guests wait."

I sighed in defeat and stomped to the bathroom, my mood dropping to an even lower degree. Not only did my mother rudely awaken me from a pleasantly peaceful slumber, but I was suddenly reminded of the game against the junior baseball league. Phillips would be there. And Benny. And Emily. What a party! _Note the sarcasm..._

I followed Smalls as he led me to the L.C. Romney Baseball Park where Phillips' team practiced. The rest of the Sandlot boys were there waiting for Phillips and his team to show up. Emily was there, too, and I prepared myself for whatever impulsive, verbal brawl I had coming my way.

"About time, Anna," Ham said, causing everyone to turn their attention towards me and Smalls. Even Emily didn't bother to hide an ugly glare, whereas Benny only looked at me like I was just another girl. Not one of his buddies.

Emily's bratty attitude, I could take care of. Benny's indifference, however, was a little unbearable. I had to act as if it nothing was going on—as if there were never any uncomfortable feelings between me and him.

God, did I really have so many flaws? Aside from being a total air head when it comes to love, I'm also a bit of a fool in that I use denial as a method for getting rid of all my problems. Granted, I like to think that I'm just very selective about the reality I choose to accept, but that doesn't make it any better, does it?

I stood there with the boys trying to participate in their small talk—anything to distract me from Benny and Emily. Even the sight of Phillips and his team entering the park a moment later was enough to make me feel relieved.

"The scum bags are here," Ham announced, and we all took our stance as the junior baseball league walked towards us. I kept my eye on Phillips—our main opponent—and wondered what these lemmings saw in him. There was nothing scary about him at all.

Intent on showing these guys I was serious and steadfast, I pulled out my mitt and placed it on my hand.

"_She_ plays?" Phillips asked in mixed disbelief and mock humor. It was enough to make my blood boil.

"You got a problem with that?" I asked as coolly as I could.

"Girls don't play," Phillips said with a smirk. "Seriously. What did you do to Benny to get him to let you play?"

"You sexist pig!" I snarled as I threw my mitt down and strode towards him. At first, Phillips took a step back, a little surprised at my outburst. I probably would have tried to break his nose...had Smalls and Benny not held me back. "You think I can't play you? Boy, you don't know what you're getting yourself into!"

"Really?" Philips asked. "Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?"

"Hah!" Ham laughed. "Annabelle can take you anytime, anywhere." The rest of the sandlot boys cheered in agreement, making me feel as if I wasn't alone. I was glad they finally had my back.

"Alright," Phillips challenged. "If she can't strike me out, you give us the sandlot."

The entire group, even Phillips' team, gasped in shock. Bet the sandlot? That was insane!

"Nu-uh." Ham said. "No freakin' way."

"What's the matter, Porky?" Phillips sneered. "This should be an easy win for you. Unless you were bluffing about this girl being able to take me on?"

Ham was eating his words. I felt slightly guilty that it had to come down to this; especially when Ham and the boys were only defending me.

"Fine." Phillips said with calculating eyes. "I know you can't depend on a girl to save your dumb lot. So let's say...if she can't strike me out, I get to keep her. We need a cheerleader for our team anyway."

"What?" I yelled in disbelief as Phillips sneered at me. "No way!"

"Deal!" Ham said as he shook Phillips' hand. The nerve...how the hell could he pick the sandlot over me—a human being! And without my permission! Oh, I was definitely going to get him back after this.

"Wait!" Squints cried. "What do _we_ get if we win?"

"He has to run around our sandlot cheering _us_ on!" Ham declared. "In a cheerleading uniform!" The rest of the boys laughed at the image in their heads. I probably would have laughed too, had they not bet me!

As the boys began exchanging agreements, I felt my shoulder being harshly spun around. Benny had grabbed me and pulled me to the side.

"Are you stupid?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You wanna be his cheerleader?"

"I didn't volunteer myself, you jerk! If you had been paying attention to the conversation instead of making googly eyes at Emily, you would have known that I had no say in the matter!"

"I wasn't making googly eyes at her," Benny defended himself. "I just don't want you having to stoop down to something so degrading."

I know I probably should have been angry at him for blaming me for the trouble I got myself into, but I couldn't bring myself to feel that way. I felt...smug. He and the boys didn't have anything to lose. Why would he care? Unless he cared for me? The idea made the butterflies in my stomach ripple.

"You don't think I can strike him out? Relax, Benny! We got him! Be happy that we're getting ourselves a new cheerleader!" I smiled at him, trying to lessen him worry, but to no avail. He just sighed before giving me one serious look and turning around towards Emily. Then my heart sank again, and I knew I was being too hopeful.

"Better get that skirt ready for me," Phillips yelled as he and his team walked towards the dugout.

Yeah, I'll get that skirt ready for him alright. I stepped up to the pitcher's mound, warming up the ball in my hand as I waited for Phillips to approach the home plate. He took his sweet time, of course, and I had to bite my tongue from expressing my annoyance. I wouldn't let him know that he was getting to me. I had this. It was an easy win.

Phillips had stepped up to the plate, and I got ready to do my fast ball. It was special to me. I had never come across anyone who could hit it.

I spoke too soon.

Not too long after I pitched that ball, I heard a sharp crack ring through the air, and the ball went soaring over my head.

"Foul ball!" Ham yelled.

My mouth fell open in shock, despite the foul. Phillips had hit the ball! He actually hit my fast ball!

"Ha!" Phillips jeered. "Not as good as I thought."

I prepared myself for a curve ball this time. There was no way in hell he could get lucky twice in a row.

"Strike one!" Ham called, causing Philips to glare at me. I surprised him again by doing another fast ball. This time, he missed.

"Strike two!"

I couldn't help but smile sweetly—my silent way of shoving it in his face.

"Come on Anna! You can strike him out!" I turned around and saw Benny cheering me on. He smiled at me, and I could swear that I was melting. I nodded at him to let him know that I heard him before turning my attention back to Phillips. I felt rejuvenated. Phillips was going down for sure.

I wound up the ball, keep my eye on Phillips concentrated ones, then pitched a knuckle curve. He missed, as expected, and the park erupted in cheers.

"Better get your skirt ready," I said to Phillips as I walked past him. "You're our new cheerleader."

I walked away with my head held high, intent on celebrating with the rest of the team when Phillips spun me around and, in a surprise move, hit me to the ground.

I quickly recovered from my shock and looked up at him. He curled his hand into a fist and retracted his arm, ready to hit me again when, out of nowhere, Benny tackled him to the ground. Needless to say, Benny totally beat the crap out of him. I basically just sat there and sighed like a fool as Benny pummeled Phillips' face. It was the most romantic gesture anyone had done for me. A little violent, but otherwise thrilling.

"Benny, that's enough, man," Smalls said as he tried to help me up. I slapped my silly expression off my face and went back to glaring at Phillips. It was hard to look so serious when I had the sudden urge to laugh at his frightened face.

"You're a coward," I told him as I spat at the floor next to him. "Just accept it. You got beat by a girl."

And with that, we all walked away from Phillips and his team, glad that we had at least won some bragging rights.

"Wait, Anna," I heard Benny call me from behind. I turned around to face him with a smile, wanting to show him just how much I appreciated his rescue.

"Thanks, Benny. I really owe you for what you did for me."

"No, don't say that Anna. I was a total jerk to you. Do you think you can forgive me?"

I smiled even wider, glad that we were finally making amends.

"We'll call it even," I said. "How about we go to the sandlot and play some ball! And this time, try and pass the ball to me." Benny nodded his head, and the two of us began following the boys to the sandlot. I was happy again, and nothing could take that away from me. It didn't even hurt (as much) when Emily hurried over to Benny's arm and clung onto him. I was just that happy.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Something occurred to me the day after we beat Philips and the rest of his 'followers': I hadn't seen Ryan for at least five days. He hadn't grounded me, sent me to my room, or told me to stay home all day for almost a week. This was strange.

That morning I asked mom about it. "Where's Ryan been?" She simply sighed before replying a minute later.

"He wants a divorce. He's been sleeping at the office for the past couple of days now, and we have a schedule for a marriage counselor." I felt bad for mom; they'd only been married for a year.

But on the bright side, no more un-needed groundings or scolding's. I would have a good home life. I would like to come home after school and look forward to hanging out at home with my mom and not some filthy-rich idiot who married my mom!

"I'm sorry," I said in faux-remorse. She didn't catch my trip, so I hugged her and said, "Going to the Sandlot. See you later." She waved as I walked out of the kitchen, an apple and a water bottle in my hand. I walked out the door, taking a bite of my apple. Smalls was waiting next to the door.

"Hey, Smalls," I greeted. He raised a hand and smiled. In his other hand he was holding a donut.

"Hey, Anna." We both began to walk, only to be met by a third. But it wasn't Benny.

"Emily?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her. She gave us both a small smile. Her blonde hair was up in a high ponytail, which, compared to my messy bun, looked a lot perkier.

"Hi, Scotty," Emily started. "Hi, Belle." She seemed hesitant to say something, so I prompted her.

"Do you wanna say something?" I asked quietly. She 'ummmmed', looking up with her eyes, towards the sky, but kept her head level.

"Yeah, I do," she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I've been some kinda' witch to you, but I don't want to fight with you anymore. I guess I just felt like you were some kinda' threat and I put my guard up and-"I cut her off, turning towards her.

"It's okay. I forgive you. And trust me;" I gave her a smile, "I wasn't exactly nice to you either." We hugged, as Scotty waited patiently for us both. When we stopped hugging, she gave me a wide smile.

That's when Benny joined us. He gave us both weird looks. "What are you doing?" I patted his arm.

"Don't worry, Benny-boy," I replied. "We weren't fighting." He still seemed a bit strange, but he shrugged it off and started walking with us. Emily was in between Benny and I with Smalls on my side. Emily was clinging to Benny's arm, and, although I still felt a pang of jealousy, for once I didn't resent Emily.

We stepped onto the Sandlot, Benny chatting with Smalls. Pork and Kenny were standing there, as Timmy and Tommy approached the Sandlot from the other side of the diamond. "What's up, Pig, Ken?" They both replied a chorus of hi's.

"Hey, guys," Timmy said, waving.

"Hey, guys," Tommy echoed, waving.

"Heya," I said, as the others said their hellos. "Let's play some ball!" I announced. I ate a few more bites of my apple and threw it on the ground. I went under the dug-out, set my water down, and picked up a bat. "I'm batting," I announced.

Emily sat in her usual place under the dug-out. Benny took third base, while Kenny stood on the pitchers mound. Timmy went to first, Tommy went to second, and Smalls went to the outfield. "Show me what'cha got," I challenged Kenny.

"You sure you ready for this?" I nodded, setting my feet firmly in the dust, and steadying the bat in my hand. Kenny threw a curved ball, which happened to come towards me, just at the right moment when my arms went out too far by a quarter of an inch. I swung the bat, my hand thrusting forward, my hand connecting with the ball instead of the ball. I could almost hear the crunch as an exuberant pain shot through my hand.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Crap!" I shouted, the bat falling out of my hand. I started jumping up and down, holding the hurt hand with the good hand, and cursing. All the boys raced towards me, Benny reaching me first. Longest legs, fastest run, I guess. Emily got to me second, because of the short distance. The rest of the guys reached me shortly afterwards.

"Are you okay?" Benny asked me, a worried look on his face. I nearly shrieked in pain and fury when he said this.

"Do I look okay?" I screamed at him. "I can't move my friggin' hand! I am not okay!" He seemed to accept this.

"Let me see it." He took my hand gingerly in his, and I ignored the tingly feeling in my hand. Well, _tried _to ignore the tingly feeling. I mean, it was really hard to ignore the sensation that went up my arm. But I was brought back to reality when the pain zapped through my hand again.

"Can you move it?" Benny questioned. I shook my head, gritting my teeth. Emily was patting my back, trying to comfort me.

"You need to get to a doctor," Emily said to me. "We probably need to take you to your mom first." I nodded, and started to take my hand back, sighing. Everyone followed me home, asking if I was okay, how much pain I was in, and if I thought it was broken.

"Is this a crime show?" I hissed at them. "Cuz it seems like I'm in questioning on Matlock!" That shut them up really quickly. Emily and Benny were both trying to calm me down and distract me from the pain.

Mmhm, like _that _worked.

We arrived at my house quickly, and Emily went inside and got my mom. When mom came out, she had a paniced expression on her face. "Oh, sweetie!" She called as she rushed up to me. "Let me see your hand!" I held it out to her. She took it carefully, and inspected it. "It's definitely sprained. I'm not sure if it's broken or not. Oh, sweetie," she said again. "We better get you to the hospital. Get in the car. We have room for three more people." Benny, Emily, and Smalls decided to come, and the other guys headed back to the Sandlot.

My mom tried to soothe me on the way to the hospital. Benny put in a word or two, as did Emily. Scotty was quiet the whole way there. When we got to the hospital, the four of us walked inside the waiting room, holding my hand. Mom went and told the Nurse what happened, and she handed Mom some papers to fill out.

We waited about an hour, then they called me back. I sighed, as the four of us stood up and walked through the white double doors.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I didn't get it; I didn't get why Benny always had to be so perfect. He had to be _so stupid, freaking, and idiotically perfect_! He _had_ to keep me company when Emily and Smalls left, and he just _had _to have that perfectly dark skin and deep dark eyes and be so _freakishly _tall. Gah, it's his entire fault!

When this thought hit me the next morning, I nearly shrieked furiously. I was right…. It was his fault. I just knew it. And yet, that anger didn't last. And, of course, I went to the Sandlot. I couldn't play on account to my stupid broken hand, which, by the way, was wrapped up in a cast and hurt like crazy, but I promised the guys I'd be there. So, I was there.

Emily was first to greet me, asking me about my hand and making sure I felt alright. I smiled at her and answered her questions. Benny then came up and asked me about my hand. This happened multiple times, each time a little different, from each boy.

I sat down in the Dug-out with Emily, as the boys started to play. "I hate not playing," I grumbled, staring at my cast. Emily gave me a sympathetic look, and mumbled an I'm sorry. We sat there for a while, watching the guys play, and chatting lightly.

"Hey, I know something we can do," Emily said, standing up, and started rummaging through the Dug-out. I watched with curiosity as she found what she needed. It was a black and red sharpie. She uncapped the black Sharpie, and began to draw a circle. When that was done, she started to draw stitching…. It was a baseball. Then, she scribbled 'The Sandlot Team' curving with the baseball. She wrote down my name below it, as I couldn't do it, and said, "You can have the rest of the guys sign it." I grinned. It was actually kinda' cool.

"Hey, you sign it," I offered, watching a confused expression cross her face.

"But I'm not part of the team…"

"Yeah, you are." She smiled at me, before writing her name in red.

When I got home that day, I stared at my cast. It had everyone's names on it. I traced them with my good hand. When I got to the last ones, Benny's, I stopped. With a sigh, I leaned against my bed, wishing things weren't so complicated. With a sigh, I just shrugged. Nothing I could do about it.

I fell asleep that night with nothing on my mind.

I was awaken the next morning by Emily jumping on the end of my bed, and Smalls, Benny, and Pork standing next to my bed, staring down at me. "Annabellllllle!" Emily shouted at me. I groaned.

"You're awake, finally," Pork said, rolling his eyes and stuffing his mouth with food. Emily jumped off the end of my bed and smirked at me.

After stifling a yawn, I asked, "How long have you been trying to wake me up?" Benny checked his watch.

"Twenty," he replied. With a sigh, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Then, grabbing a tank top and some shorts, I walked into the hallway and to the bathroom. After changing and throwing my hair up into a pony-tail, I grabbed a bottle of water out of the kitchen, and lead the others out of the house.

"Bye, Mom!" I called behind me. I heard a muffled reply, and the five of us chatted lightly as we walked to the Sandlot. Gosh, it was hot out. I was already sweating just by the time we reached the end of the block. Gross.

Emily and I sat in the Dug-Out together again, chatting lightly. The day went by quickly, watching the guys play some ball. Emily ended up painting her nails a bright pink, doodling in a notebook, and put a clear coat on her nails. I realized that she must get really bored sometimes. She seemed thankful to have company.

That night, I invited the team over for dinner. They all agreed and promised to meet me at the house in ten minutes. Benny, Emily, and Smalls coming directly over to my house followed me through the door and into the living room, where we found a scene that shocked us. My mom was being yelled at by the Devil in human form; Ryan. And, not only was he yelling at her, he was hitting her. As he lunged at my mom, I tried to step in his way. This plan worked, and he ended up stumbling backwards.

"Mom! Are you okay?" I asked, turning towards her. She had tears streaming down her face.

"You think you can get a divorce from me?" he asked, walking forward. "Then you are sadly mistaken." He reached forward and pushed me aside, making my head hit the wall with a lot of force.

"Ow," I muttered rubbing my head. My eyes were blurry but I could still see him hitting my mother. My arm hurt like heck, but I couldn't let him hit my mom. "Get away from here!" He turned and smiled at me.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" he asked. I stood up and got into a fighting stance. "You are going to fight me? A little girl, half my size?"

"Then you should have no problem fighting me if I'm half your size," I snarled. Benny shouted no at me and told Emily and Smalls to go call the police. He stepped in front of me, pushing me lightly out of the way. Then, Ryan stepped forward, throwing a punch at Benny's chin. He managed to dodge the hit, but when Ryan kicked Benny in the ribs, I heard a crack.

Tears filled my eyes and I ran over to where mom was standing. She said to me, "Call the police! And get outside, Belle! You too, Benny!" That's when we heard sirens wailing. Benny was now on the ground as Ryan kicked him. I shrieked, terrified of the scene. The police came in quickly, pointing guns at Ryan. They directed Mom and I out of the room, getting an officer to help Benny out. Emily and Smalls were standing on the lawn, looking horrifically scared.

"Are you okay?" Emily rushed up to mom and I. I nodded, before we were taken to an ambulance truck to be checked out. Benny was sitting next to me on a gurney, grimacing in pain. Emily and Smalls rushed home after making sure we were all okay.

"Benny," I muttered, tears streaming silently down my face. "You shouldn't have done that." He shook his head at me.

"Belle, I'm glad I did," he gave me a small smile. Great, now I feel guilty.

"You shouldn't have," I said again, "but I'm glad you did. Thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know what Ryan would have done to my mom." Benny gave me another smile.

"You were more worried about your mom then you?"

"Yes," I said, and he shook his head at me. The ambulance informed him that he would have to be taken to the hospital, and his parents rushed out of the door after getting a call. His mom was crying about her baby and his dad had a worried look on their face. When they saw Benny, they told him they would meet him at the hospital.

Right before they were going to close the doors of the ambulance, I asked them, "Can I ride with him?" The Medic nodded, letting me get in before closing the doors. There was two Medics in the truck. After sitting down, I bit my lip hesitantly before taking Benny' hand. He gave me a smile and I started crying again.

He mumbled to me, "Don't cry." I nodded, but continued to cry anyways. Mom was told she was okay and left at the house, I was informed after asking a Medic. I felt bad about leaving her there, but apparently the Police would be there for a while.

What a wonderful day, wasn't it?


	9. Prologue

A/N: Hey, guys. Yep, it's me, that annoying Kinzee girl again. And, yes, this is the prologue. Don't ask me why I decided to end it in this chapter- I don't know. It just all kind of fell into place yesterday, when the wifi was down, and I just started writing. This is the product of the no wifi and extreme boredom. I hope it's up to all of your standards. XP It'll probably fall short, but, eh. :P Thank you guys for reading. And I was thinking- sequel? Tell me in reviews. And remember, if I don't get reviews, I'll think people don't like it and wont write a sequel. So, bring in the reviews, please. Love y'all.

Prologue: Happy Baseball Ever After- For Now

When we were younger, summer seemed to last forever. Now it seems like three months were actually days. And, although some bad things had happened this summer, it was the best summer of my life. I met the guys, Emily, and I met Benny, even if things didn't come out as I planned.

Summer was coming to a close. In two weeks school would start again, leaving us to play baseball only in the afternoons. School work and projects would fill up our schedule faster than you can say, 'School is in session.' And that would also mean less time to hang out with Benny. I mean the guys. No guy in particular.

My hand healed, and today was the day I got my cast off. Over time, the cast had accumulated more art work and signatures. I actually kind of didn't want to take it off. But the thought of playing again made me anxiously excited. After I got it taken off, I ran to the sandlot, a huge smile on my face, and a glove on my hand. The guys greeted me cheerily.

And then it happened.

It happened so quickly, I wasn't really aware of what happened. One second I was grinning, high-fiving the team, and then it was Benny's turn. Somehow, I went onto my tip-toes and he seemed to be drawn towards me, too. Our lips pressed together, for two seconds, and my brain couldn't function properly. I took a woozy, confused step back, a frown on my face. The other guys seemed almost as confused as I was, as Benny's cheeks turned scarlet. "That… Never happened."

"Never happened," I agreed, thankful Emily was mysteriously not there. "Um… Let's play some ball. I'm batting." The guys, grateful for the awkward moment passing, nodded and got into their places. Kenny pitched a curved ball, which I missed by a mile. He threw a fast ball next, which, once again, I missed. Then he threw an easy ball. Straight forward and slow.

I missed.

"I must be rusty," I lied, shrugging. Truthfully, my brain was still spinning from the kiss. I was confused and happy and in a slight daze.

They let me pitch after that, which I was able to succeed at. It didn't seem like a month had passed since I hadn't been able to play. I played just as well (except for batting) as I had before. After about an hour, my hand started to cramp. It never did that before. I flexed it a couple of times, and announced I'm going to take a break, letting Kenny take his place as pitcher again.

After another thirty minutes, I joined the game again in the outfield, not really minding not getting much play. At the end of the day, Scotty, Benny, Ham, and I walked towards our houses. After Scotty and Ham departed, it was just Benny and I for a brief second. We turned to face each other awkwardly. We both tried to speak at once, causing us both to laugh. "You go first," I offered. He nodded.

"Emily and I… we're done." I stared at him, confused. "She's moving," he said in explanation. I nodded slowly. Then, I cleared my throat and pushed the words out of my mouth before I could think them over.

"What did that kiss mean?"

He stared at me for a moment. "I'm… not sure. I was hoping you could tell me." I sighed.

"Unfortunately, I can't," I bit my lip and ran a hand through my hair. "Do you want it to mean something?" Benny was silent. "Tell me," I insisted. "Was it just something that happened or…."

"I don't know, Belle," he replied slowly. "I'm glad it happened, though." He grinned that gorgeous crooked smile at me. I couldn't help but smile back, feeling a tingling sensation in my stomach.

"Me too."

And he did it again. He kissed me. It lasted four seconds, at the most, but…. The dizzy feeling lasted long after that.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Belle," he stuck a hand in the back pocket of his jeans, and stumbled backwards, a goofy grin on his face. I nodded, smiling back.

"Bye."

And, with that, I turned and walked inside, ready to squeal about it to my mom.

And, for the first time since I arrived, the house actually felt like home.

* * *

A/N: I hope y'all liked it. Love y'all with all my heart. I'm feeling sappy right now. I don't even like Miley Cyrus or the show Hannah Montana and I'm listening to one of those 'I'll remember you' songs by her. :P Yeah... Anyways, review, please? I'll even accept (Trying so hard not to laugh right now) R&Fs. Bahaha... Anyways, bye, guys.


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